Changshu

About Changshu

Changshu sits in the water country north-east of Suzhou, and an old line of verse sums up its setting: seven streams run to the sea and ten miles of green hills reach halfway into the town. The hills are Yushan, a long wooded ridge that slips right into the city's north-western edge, with Shanghu Lake spread out below it.

The city has deep roots. Yan Yan, the only southern disciple of Confucius, is buried on Yushan, Xingfu Temple has drawn pilgrims and poets since the fifth century, and the Qing statesman Weng Tonghe, tutor to two emperors, grew up in a grand house here. Classical gardens and a slender Song-era pagoda stand among the modern streets.

Today Changshu is also one of China's great clothing markets, and its kitchens are known for beggar's chicken baked in clay and bowls of noodles topped with wild mushroom oil. Give it a slow day or two, adding the reed marshes of Shajiabang near Yangcheng Lake.